Chapter 46 Preparation
POV: Callum Brennan
Location: The Rookeries
Time: Twelve Hours Before
We've got twelve hours. Maybe less. Cormac's coming and we need to be ready.
I gather the crew in the street outside Isla's shelter. Nine fighters plus Isla. Against twenty pack wolves plus Cormac himself.
"Terrain is our advantage," I tell them. "We know these streets. Cormac's wolves don't. We use that. Set up ambush points. Create choke points. Force them to fight where we want, not where they want."
Marcus nods. "There are three approaches to this shelter. Main street, east alley, and west passage. We can block two, force them down one."
"Good. Show me."
We walk the territory. Mapping defensive positions. Identifying where to place fighters. Where to set traps. Where to fall back if overwhelmed.
Tom surveys the buildings. "I can create illusions. Make one passage look impassable. Force them toward our ambush."
"How strong are your illusions?"
"Strong enough to fool wolves. Won't stop them once they realize it's fake. But it'll buy us a few minutes." Tom demonstrates. The wall shimmers and suddenly looks collapsed, impassable. "See?"
"That's useful. Set up three illusions. Main routes into the shelter territory. Force them where we want them."
Tom nods and starts working.
Valentina approaches with maps. "I've been tracking Cormac's movements. He's bringing nineteen wolves plus himself. Twenty total. Elite enforcers. All trained. All loyal."
"Twenty against nine. Still terrible odds."
"Worse than terrible. These aren't random fighters. These are his best. Wolves who've been with the pack for decades." Valentina points to names. "Vincent's brother is coming. He's angry about what you did. Three more from the same family. They're going to be vicious."
"So we avoid direct confrontation. Hit and run. Wound and retreat. Make them chase us into disadvantageous positions."
Sibyl appears from the shadows. She's bleeding from her nose again. Another vision.
"Nineteen wolves plus Cormac. They arrive early. Six hours from now, not twelve." Sibyl hands me a paper with details. "East passage. That's where they come first. Four wolves as advance guard. If you're not ready, they kill three of your crew before you react."
"How do you know this?"
"I saw it. In a vision. You have time to prepare. Set up ambush at the east passage. When they come, you're ready. That changes the outcome."
I read the details. Specific positions. Specific timing. Specific tactics.
"If this is wrong, we waste resources defending the wrong position."
"It's not wrong. My visions are accurate seventy percent of the time. That's better odds than you have otherwise." Sibyl wipes blood from her nose. "Trust me or don't. But if you ignore this, three of your crew die in the first five minutes."
I make the decision. "East passage. We set up ambush there. Heavy defenses. When they come, we're ready."
Sibyl nods and disappears back into the shadows.
Tom's finished his illusions. Main street looks collapsed. West passage looks on fire. East passage looks clear and inviting.
"Perfect. They'll funnel toward east thinking it's the easy approach. We'll be waiting."
I assign positions. Marcus and his two fighters at the ambush point. Tom providing magical support. Valentina scouting and providing intelligence. Sarah the medic stays back with medical supplies. Kieran and the others at secondary positions.
"Where's Isla?" I ask.
"Moving the vulnerable to safety. Shelter residents who can't fight. Getting them to Meg's flophouse three streets over." Sarah reports. "She'll be back in an hour."
We spend the next hours gathering weapons. Most are improvised. Pipes, chains, broken glass, anything that can hurt a wolf. We've got two silver knives. Three crossbows with silver-tipped bolts. One gun with six silver bullets.
Not much. But more than nothing.
I'm setting up the last defensive position when Valentina returns at a run.
"They're early. Cormac's pack is moving faster than expected. Maybe two hours out. Not six."
"Everyone to positions. Now." I signal the crew. "This is it. They're coming."
The crew scrambles to their assigned locations. Isla returns from evacuating shelter residents. She's carrying her silver knife and a crossbow.
"Vulnerable are safe. I'm here to fight."
"You're wounded." She's got bandages on her arms from last night's fight.
"So are you. So is everyone. We fight anyway." Isla checks her weapons. "Where do you need me?"
"East ambush. With Marcus. You've got medical training. If someone goes down, you stabilize them."
Isla nods and heads to position.
Tom approaches. "Illusions are set. They'll hold until physical contact. Should buy us element of surprise."
"Good work. Stay mobile. Move between positions. Provide magical support where needed."
Valentina sets up her observation post on a rooftop. "I'll signal when they arrive. Watch for my hand signals."
Everyone's in position. Weapons ready. Prepared as we can be for impossible fight.
I'm checking the east ambush when Sibyl appears one more time.
"They're bringing someone unexpected. A vampire. Observer from Parliament. He won't fight. Just watches. Reports back." Sibyl coughs blood. "But Valentina might try to kill him. That brings Parliament into this fight. Stop her if you can."
"Why would she attack a vampire?"
"Personal vendetta. Her mother was killed by Parliament. She sees opportunity for revenge." Sibyl staggers. "I've seen it. She stakes him. Parliament responds. Your crew gets caught in larger war."
"I'll talk to her."
I climb to Valentina's position. She's watching the approach routes with binoculars.
"Sibyl says there's a vampire observer. Parliament representative. Don't attack him."
"If I see vampire, I'm killing him." Valentina's voice is flat, certain.
"That brings Parliament into this fight. We can't handle pack wolves and vampires."
"I don't care. Every vampire I kill is justice for my mother." Valentina loads a crossbow with wooden stake. "You want to stop me, you'll have to fight me too."
I don't have time to argue. The howls are getting closer.
I return to ground level. Position myself at the central point where I can support any position quickly.
The crew is ready. Weapons drawn. Waiting.
Then I hear them. Footsteps. Approaching from the east. Four wolves just like Sibyl predicted.
The advance guard has arrived.
I signal Marcus. He signals back. Ready.
The four wolves enter the east passage. Moving confidently. Thinking it's clear route to the shelter.
Tom's illusion holds. They don't see the ambush until it's too late.
Marcus and his fighters drop from rooftops. Land on top of the advance guard. Silver knives flash. Blood sprays.
The fight is brutal and quick. Two advance guards die immediately. One escapes wounded. One gets captured.
First blood to us. But that's just the advance guard.
I hear more howls. Closer now. Louder. The main force is arriving.
Valentina signals from her rooftop. Nineteen wolves. Plus Cormac. Plus one vampire observer.
The Battle of the Rookeries is about to begin.